The New Me
by Mrs.HydeHasArrived
Summary: Bella Swan hasn't been satisfied with her life for quite some time. How will seeing Edward Cullen, a former classmate of hers, change her life? AU, Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

It's another rainy day- what else is new? You think that with these habitual rainstorms, I'd smarten up and remember to take my umbrella with me when I left my apartment this morning, but it's just been one of those days. First, I wake up twenty minutes late and therefore had to skip breakfast to be at work on time. Then I forget my laptop at home and have to take a cab back to my apartment, making me almost an hour late for work. I jam my foot on my desk on my way out for lunch, and now this storm is the cherry on top of a fantastic day.

Luckily, I finished work early today, and now Angela and I can go out for dinner together. It's been too long since I've had a night out with my best friend. She ended up marrying Ben Cheney, or as we liked to call him, cute-comic-book-guy. We both knew Ben when we were in high school, but never spoke to him then. He preferred reading his comic books than socializing, but we saw him in the library one day about two years ago. Angela has admitted to having a crush on him since high school, and since that day two years ago, they've been inseparable. They married about six months ago and are now the parents of a lovely Scottish terrier.

However, my life isn't as happily-ever-after as my best friend. While she and Ben gallop away into the sunset, I am forced to wait here, in the corner, working as a writer for Fork's number one- and only- newspaper. To be quite honest, I really like my job, but there is a short limit to what a newspaper writer can talk about in a city with a population of three hundred. My social life consists of my few close friends and my computer. I would like to start over with my life, but I don't know how. I am typically a very shy girl- not one to go up to people I've never met before and introduce myself.

As I'm thinking over my life, my clothes are getting soaked through by the rain. I was supposed to meet Angela at her house to go out for dinner. It seemed to be a pretty nice day, so I decided to walk to her house rather than take a cab. Of course, ten minutes in, it starts raining heavily. I try to keep going but the rain becomes too much- springtime in Washington can be a bit treacherous. The rain becomes so thick that I can't see too far ahead of me. I knew I had to stop somewhere. That was when I saw a light coming from inside a house. Although I didn't know whose house it was, it didn't take me long to decide what my next move would be- of course the loud crash of thunder helped quicken my decision.

I knocked at the door fiercely, hoping whoever it was inside would be able to hear me past the rain. I knocked for a good two or three minutes before the door was quickly swung open by a man.

"Um, I'm sorry for barging in like this, but would it be alright if I stayed here until the rain stops?" After asking him, I realized how strange the situation must be for him. Here I am, a strange woman soaked to the bone, asking him if I can stay for a while without even knowing my name.

"Sure, that's no problem." He backed away from the door, letting me in. I was very grateful towards him, allowing me into his home without any hesitation. I guess small-city life makes you welcoming to others.

"Thank you so much. I was just walking down the street when it started pouring. I'm Bella, by the way."

"Edward, and it's not a problem." Now that I was inside, I could see him more clearly. He has tousled brown hair and was at least a head taller than me. There was no doubt that he was devilishly handsome in a mysterious way, but I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I've seen this man before. Of course, I was not about to ask him. Asking him to let me into his house was unorthodox as it was for me.

"I really can't thank you enough, Edward. I know it must be really strange to let someone into your house that you haven't met before. I really appreciate it." At my words, he ducked his face and started chuckling. His actions confused me a little.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" he asked timidly. I tried to get a better look at him. There was something definitely familiar about him, but I couldn't quite remember where I've seen him before. Have I met any Edwards before?

And that's when it hit me. His smile.

"Edward? Edward Cullen from Forks High?" At my realization, he gave a knowing grin. "I haven't seen you since graduation! You look really… different."

Edward looked very different in high school than he did right now. He had thick black rimmed glasses and a slight case of acne. He was also very thin and too tall for his body. Obviously, he has grown into it over the years. I wasn't surprised that I didn't recognize him at first. Not only does he look different now, but my social circle was as small then as it is now. Edward was as shy as I was, if not more so. There was never a chance for us to get to know each other.

It also didn't help that I had the slightest crush on him. Although he didn't look as… attractive as he does now, there was always something I liked about him. I've seen how he acted among his circle of friends and he was a very sympathetic and genuinely nice guy. His smile was to die for, even back then. If there was any chance of me talking to him back then, it was to see that toothy smile of his. The same smile that he was showing me right now.

"Well, those high school years were a very awkward phase for me. I'm glad to say I am not quite the same as I was then," he said with a chuckle. "And you Bella- y-you look great!"

I had to blush at that. "Th-thanks, Edward," I said quietly with my head down. While my head was down, I noticed that my wet clothes were ruining his floor. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get your floor all wet."

"It's no problem Bella. Just follow me upstairs and I'll get you a change of clothes. It looks like this storm may take a while so I'll put your clothes in the dryer for you."

Edward and I quietly made our way upstairs and into his room. He offered me a pair of boxers and a t-shirt to wear. I slipped into the bathroom and quickly changed my clothes. When I came out of the bathroom, Edward took my bundle of wet clothes and we went back downstairs and into his kitchen.

"This is a lovely home you have, Edward. What did you end up doing after high school?"

"I went to Dartmouth for a year to study pre-med. My parents wanted me to be a surgeon, like my dad. But, after the first year, I knew it wasn't for me. So, I transferred to UW and studied music with a minor in history."

"Were your parents mad at your decision to switch?"

"At first, but they got over it eventually. I guess they realized how happy it made me to have music as part of my daily life. Now, I own a café in downtown with my cousin. I organize all the music in there, and I play professionally in a few bands every once in a while."

"That sounds fabulous. I remember you used to play the violin at school. It was always so much fun to hear you play." 

"Well, my main instrument is the piano, but I've leant guitar and violin as well. It's always a blast to learn a new instrument. My life goal is to become a one-man band some day." I pictured Edward with a harmonica at his mouth and him stomping a tune and singing all at once, and couldn't help but laugh. He asked me if I'd like sandwich to eat, and I said okay. It's become so easy to talk to Edward. I've always wanted to talk to him in high school but was always too shy to start a conversation, and whenever I had the courage to talk to him, he was too shy to reply. I wonder what's changed to make him this way now.

"So enough about me. What about you, Bella? What has been going on in your life?"

"Well, nothing too interesting. I graduated from UW a few years ago with a major in journalism and a minor in English literature. For about two years now, I've been working at the newspaper writing the headline articles. It's what I've always wanted to do, but it's not as exciting as I hoped it would be."

"Well, why did you stay in Forks all these years? I bet if you went to New York or someplace you could find a good job." I paused for a second, debating whether or not to tell the whole truth.

"Um, my dad died during my first year of university. I dropped out for a year to settle down a bit and returned the next year. It just doesn't feel right for me to leave our- my house," I said quietly, quivering near the end. There came a short awkward pause when Edward didn't know what to do. I felt horrible bringing up my father's death and ruining the free conversation I was having with Edward.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't know about any of this. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"No, no. Don't feel sorry. You weren't in Forks, how were you supposed to know? Let's just forget about it," I said with a convincing smile. "Have you been seeing anyone from high school lately?"

"No one other than my cousins really. Every once in a while, Mike or Jessica or Eric comes to the café, but I don't think they recognise me at all," he said with a light chuckle.

"Well, you do look really different. I didn't notice you at first either."

"Well, I would've noticed you anywhere, Bella. You look almost identical- the same hair, the same eyes…" He looked into my eyes saying this, and a weird silence came where we both looked at each other for a few seconds. I looked away first, losing the courage to look back. After a moment's silence, Edward asked if I still see anyone from school.

"I'm still best friends with Angela Weber. She married Ben Cheney about six months ago in Hawaii."

"I used to eat lunch with Ben! Though, he never spoke much. He mainly kept to his comic books back then."

"Well, thankfully, his comic book reading days are over. He has new priorities in his life now, like his new wife. They always seem so happy together," I say with a smile.

"And…and you? Do you have anyone… special in your life?"

I look down at this, blushing furiously and chuckling awkwardly. "Uh, no, not for a while now, actually." I was dying to ask him the same question. I wanted to know if he was taken, if he was happy. But I couldn't ask such a question. After a few minutes of us silently eating our sandwiches, I noticed a beam of light reaching us and quickly realised that the storm was over. We both stood up and went to the dryer to fetch my freshly dry clothes. I came out of the bathroom with my clothes back on and his neatly folded together.

"Thanks again, Edward, for everything. It was really great seeing you again," I said.

"It was my pleasure, Bella-" He hesitated for a slight second before continuing, "You should come by the café some time. It's called Ivory Keys."

"Oh, uh-that sounds great. I'll try to stop by some time," I said quickly and waved goodbye and left. When I was far enough away from his house not to be seen, I stopped and face palmed myself. Why did I have to leave like that? I left without saying goodbye nonetheless. He'll definitely think I'm a freak now.

After moping for a good two minutes, I stood up and made my way to Angela's house.

_No matter_, I thought. _That will probably be the last time I see Edward Cullen anyway._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, I've been planning on posting this on Thursday, but I haven't been getting good connection all week. I'm planning on posting a chapter every Thursday, so hopefully it'll work out. Enjoy this chapter, and please review :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

-Chapter 2-

"And when were you going to tell me you saw Edward Cullen?" Angela glared at me expectantly from across the table.

"I didn't know it was such a big deal. I just stopped at his house last week waiting for the storm to end." I said timidly. I was in Port Angeles with Angela and Ben having a quiet dinner and for some ridiculous reason, I thought it would be a good idea to bring up the fact that I saw Edward last week.

"It's a big deal because it's Edward Cullen! Don't think I don't know about your high school crush on him. And by the looks of it, your feelings are still the same," she said. I had never told Angela about my crush on Edward, but that's because we didn't talk about boys a lot back then. It just wasn't our thing.

"Well, it doesn't matter either way. It's not like I'll be seeing him again anyway," I mumbled.

"I used to eat lunch with Edward," Ben said while eating his chicken parmesan. "He's a cool guy, and so were his cousins. I heard he and Jasper Hale opened a café downtown. Something to do with piano keys?"

"Ivory Keys," I said without thinking. Angela gave me a questioning look. "He mentioned it at his house and said I should come by some time."

"Well what are we doing here, then," Angela asked excitedly. "Let's go to Ivory Keys!"

"Angela, I don't think that's a good idea. He was probably just being nice. He probably already forgot about the whole encounter anyway."

"Bella, why are you stopping yourself from this? Don't think I haven't noticed how depressed you've been lately. There's nothing wrong with living a little." Since we've known each other for a while, Angela can tell what I'm feeling without me saying anything. I love her for it, but sometimes it can be a bit too much.

I sighed in resignation. "Alright, do whatever you want. It's not like I can stop you after you've put your mind to something."

Shortly afterwards, we paid the bill and were on our way back to Forks. Usually, after our Friday night dinners, we would go back to Angela's house and watch a marathon of one of our favourite shows. It would usually be _Friends, Battlestar Galactica_, or _The Office_. Angela and Ben's dog, Chappy would usually join us. Chappy was named after Mike Hannigan's family dog from _Friends_, because Mike Hannigan is just gorgeous. Angela and I both felt we needed some sort of connection with him.

This week, however, our routine was horribly broken as we entered Ivory Keys. It was a fairly large café with a calming atmosphere. There was a grand piano at the back of the café with a dance floor next to it. To the left was none other than Jasper Hale, who quickly recognized us.

"Ben Cheney? How are you doing, man? I haven't seen you in ages!" Jasper is Edward's cousin who also attended Forks High, along with his twin sister, Rosalie Hale. However, the only similarity between the two was their piercing ice blue eyes. They both had blond hair, but Jasper's was more of a dark honey colour, while Rosalie's was a gold colour.

"Hey Jasper. The café looks great, congrats," Ben said, truly happy for his old friend.

"Aw, thanks, man. We've only been open for half a year now but business is looking good." I could tell that Jasper was truly proud of his work, and he should be. The café looked great and there seemed to be a lot of people coming in and out.

"Jasper, you remember Angela Weber- or, should I say, Angela Cheney?" Both Ben and Angela gave a goofy grin at Ben's cute slip-up. "And our good friend, Bella Swan?"

Jasper gave a strange smirk at my introduction. "How can I forget? It's good to see you all. Come, sit down for a bit. Edward's just gone out for a five minute break, but I'm sure he would be more than pleased to see you all." At this, Jasper gave me the same smirk and quickly left to deal with some customers. I was now thoroughly confused.

"Ooh, look! They have open mike tonight! Bella, we have to sign up for it!" I followed Ange's finger past the dance floor to see a chalkboard set up next to the piano where you can sign yourself up for open mike.

"Ange, you know I don't play any instruments. Why don't you go by yourself?" I looked pleadingly at Angela but she seemed to be occupied with something behind me.

And that was when I heard him speak.

"You don't have to play an instrument if you want. There's also singing." I turned all the way around to see Edward looking down at me giving me the grin that I've always adored.

"Edward! It's great to see you after so long. How've you been?" Ben greeted Edward just as he greeted Jasper.

"It's good to see you too Ben. I just moved back to Forks a few months ago to help Jasper set this place up. How've you all been?" We continued to catch up with each other's lives. Jasper would keep coming back and talking to us until another customer needed him. Soon, the topic of the open mike was reintroduced.

"Bella, why don't you go up and do something? You're a great singer!" Angela kept persisting, and I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Ange, you know I don't do this kind of stuff."

"Bella, it's not as bad as it seems. If you'd like, I can accompany you on the piano. What do you say?" I admit, the thought of playing alongside Edward excited me, and the fact that I wouldn't be alone up there calmed me somewhat. However, I was being honest when I said I didn't do this kind of stuff. I'm not… brave enough for that.

"Bella, you're allowed to live a little," Edward said with a long stare. What he said, along with his stare, confused me, but I'd have to think about that later on. I sighed and looked down, trying to gather the little courage I had.

"Alright, one song then." I looked up and all three of them were grinning at me.

"Great, I'll just tell Jazz to ready the mike then," Edward said, and walked towards Jasper.

"Oh, I'm so excited! It's always a treat to hear you sing, Bella!" Angela was always supportive and knew when I needed a little boost. Ben was just equally supportive, but in a quieter way.

"Alright Bella, everything's good to go for you and Edward," Jasper said quickly. "Whenever you're ready, go on up to the stage. Edward's already up there." I gave my friends a final parting glance before crossing the dance floor and reaching Edward at the piano.

When I arrived at the stage, I took a quick peek at the crowd of tables and couches. There were a lot of people, almost too many for me to handle. I started having second thoughts about this whole ordeal. Just as I thought this, Edward came up to me and whispered in my ear, "are you feeling alright?"

I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down. "Yeah, I'm feeling okay," I replied with a thankful smile.

"Just don't worry about it too much. You'll have fun if you let yourself. What song do you want to sing?"

I didn't have to think too hard for a song. "Near To You, by A Fine Frenzy. Do you know it?" He replied that he did, and he was grateful. A Fine Frenzy was one of my favourite artists with her powerful voice. The vocal lessons that my mom put me in all those years ago came in handy when singing her songs. Jasper came up to us when he saw Edward sit at his piano bench and spoke into the microphone.

"Alright, everyone, we have a new singer tonight. Please give it up for the lovely Miss Bella Swan." A polite applause met us and I took a deep breath to ready myself as Edward played the opening notes to the song. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sing as freely as I wanted, not allowing the stares and judgements of the audience affect me.

Singing has always been a comfort to me. Although I don't sing professionally or anything like that, I always find some time in my day to sing, whether it's in the shower or in my office at work. There was something so refreshing in letting out all my emotions in an artful way. It was just refreshing to let out my true emotions, period.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to find Edward glancing right back at me with a large smile on his face. The climax quickly followed our encounter and his encouraging smile energized me for it, and I was grateful to him for it. That was the best I ever sang the song.

The song ended quickly, and I strangely felt like singing more in front of this rather large audience. Thankfully, the audience approved of our performance. I could hear loud cheering and whistling at the back, and I could only guess that it was Angela and Ben. Jasper shortly came running up the stage.

"Well, thank you, Bella and Edward! What do you all think? Do you all want an encore?" The crowd quickly erupted into applause and cheering. The first thing I wanted to do was to refuse this and leave as quickly as possible, but then I remembered Edward's words. _You're allowed to live a little. You'll have fun if you let yourself._

I admit, I did have fun singing with Edward. So with his words in my mind, and a quick glance at him for another one of his encouraging smiles, I accepted. I sang two more songs that night, Turning Tables by Adele, and Thank You by Dido. Edward accompanied my beautifully, but there was never a doubt that he would. I remember how passionate he was about music in high school. It seems that even if his appearances changed since then, he's still the same person.

After our last song, Edward and I returned to our table to enjoy other people's music. I was so elated by our performance that nothing could stop my new found bravery. Not even when Edward asked me to dance during one song. Angela and Ben soon joined us on the dance floor. I even danced a song with Angela, Ben, and Jasper. I haven't felt this way in a very long time. My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling and laughing too much.

At midnight, we decided to call it a night, with a promise to both Jasper and Edward of returning as soon as possible.

_It seems as if we'll be starting a new Friday routine._


End file.
